At the CA Bridge Program’s free virtual regional collaborative on June 3 from 9-10:30 a.m. (PT), attendees can connect with both regional and statewide leaders in the substance use disorder treatment field and learn how to influence Behavioral Health Services Act priorities for their county. Registration is open via Zoom.
Providers may still be eligible to recover funds from class action settlements with upcoming deadlines, more than $5 billion in total is available, including:
Responses to the County of San Diego Emergency Medical Services Office’s request for information on implementation of a new online medical direction system for the region’s emergency medical services (EMS) providers are due by June 2.
May marks Mental Health Awareness Month, a time when all who are committed to helping those living with mental health conditions can pause to reflect on the meaning of their work. This is also a time for us to continue fostering greater awareness, empathy, and understanding for those in need of care.
In less than two months, San Diego County will hold a special general election for a vacant seat in the county’s First Supervisorial District for the remainder of the current term.
This year, California hospitals are required to submit detailed health equity reports under Assembly Bill 1204 (2021) — a process that is daunting and tedious, with dozens of measures and hundreds of required fields. The Hospital Quality Institute (HQI) can help by providing a ready-to-upload report — due to the California Department of Health Care Access and Information by Sept. 30 — that’s greater than 95% complete (hospitals just need to fill in their equity plan). Visit HQI’s website to learn more.
On April 25, the California Hospital Association (CHA) submitted to the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) recommendations on how to best allocate Proposition (Prop) 35 funding in 2025 and beyond. In the letter, CHA urges DHCS to fully expend Prop 35 funds on hospital providers in a way that is timely, easy to implement, allows for ongoing flexibility, and can be targeted. More details are available in last week’s CHA News article.
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is temporarily pausing implementation of its real-time hospital bed capacity system — the Hospital Bed and Emergency Medical Services Data System — as it works to finalize operational details. After receiving authority to deploy such a system through Assembly Bill 177 (2024), the department has been working with the Hospital Association of Oregon on implementation. CDPH remains committed to completing the system and plans to re-engage hospitals later this year.
The Medi-Cal Behavioral Health Residency Training Program offers up to $250,000 per slot to help grow residency and fellowship programs, strengthening California’s behavioral health workforce and improving access to care. For more information, visit the program’s website.
The County of San Diego will review the recommended budget, covering topic areas of greatest interest to the public, and solicit community input at two upcoming events: an in-person community open house at the San Diego County operations center on May 22 from 5-7 p.m. and a virtual community meeting on May 28 from 5:30-7 p.m. (PT). Visit the county budget 2025-27 website to sign up for either event — each will provide the same information and allow community members to ask questions. Public comments can also be made through June 12 at 5 p.m. (PT).